Alliedassault - View Single Post - Shotguns, Snipers, Rocketeers, Camping, and Cheating

Hannover · 01-03-2002, 04:23 AM

After playing a great deal of the MOHAA Multiplayer Demo and reading countless posts from this forum and others, I'd like to initiate a thoughtful discussion about five hot topics - Shotguns, Snipers, Rocketeers, Camping, and Cheating.

Let me first begin with a story...

It was a dark and stormy night, and I was on a FFA Stalingrad server with about 9-10 other players. Pinging about 85-100, my connection was neither superior to anyone else on the server (especially not the host player and his ZERO ping), nor was it much
worse.

On this night, however, I finally got back in "the zone." "The zone" is where I play to the best of my ability, where I make all the right decisions, and where I have/create a lot of luck. I will sound like a crusty old-timer, but back in my Team Fortress days, I suppose I was a mean sob when I was in "the zone." Yes, there were many players better, but I had my moments...

Ah, but back to MOHAA! While playing in "the zone" on this dark and stormy night in Stalingrad, I cleaned house as a sniper.

My decent connection, combined with a bit of skill, luck, and less-talented players, made me shoot to the top of the standings very quickly. I was going on runs of 18 kills and no deaths. I should mention that this was only my second attempt at sniping.

After a while of this, I was called out by another player. Here is what transpired:

PLAYER X: Hannover, u are cheap
ME: Oh yeah?
PLAYER X: Anyone can snipe
ME: Well, why not join me and rack up some cheap kills?!?!
PLAYER X: No, because it takes no skill
ME: Yeah, I know. I need all the help I can get.

I ignored further protestations, proclamations, and rude exhortations and kept fragging. Soon others tired of my sniping and joined the anti-Hannover chorus. Here's what I was told:

PLAYER Y: lol you may be okay at sniping but can u use a diff weapon?
PLAYER Z: ya, sniping is easy
PLAYER X: no shit man, let's see him use a different weap

Before too long, the number of targets on the server dwindled to the point that I wanted to find another. After searching, I found another FFA with 10-12 players. I joined this server and decided to try the SMG, just to see if I could "use a diff weapon."

I guess you could say that I was pretty good at using the SMG, as I ended up with a score of 200-31. In short, I was still in "the zone." After one particularly tasty frag, I was called out by a player.

PLAYER B: Hannover u ^@%#&&@! cheater
ME: Thanks for the compliment.
PLAYER B: U are so f$^king cheating
ME: Again, I thank you for the compliment.
PLAYER B: get some skill cheater
ME: Where might that be had?
PLAYER B: f$%k you
PLAYER C: Who's cheating?
PLAYER B: Hannover...someone kick him

It kept going on, but I ignored all messages and continued to frag. As my kills piled up, a new player called me out.

PLAYER F: lame..Q3 monkey use a diff weapon
ME: I've heard that before.
PLAYER F: anyone can circle strafe w/ the SMG...takes no skill
ME: Okay then I'll switch.

At this point, I switched to the shotgun. Let me just say this: the shotgun is the weapon of choice for confined areas, as it should be. I ratcheted up my totals to something like 448-98, if I remember correctly (I've got a screenshot at home.) Near the end of my participation on this server, I experienced a stroke of luck on and killed a room filled with four other players. I did not die.

Needless to say, I was called out.

PLAYER Q: ghey
PLAYER Q: Hannover you cheap cheating f$%k
ME: Wha?
PLAYER Q: I shot you like 40 times in the head and u didn't die
ME: What can I say other than you must've missed?
PLAYER R: naw he's not cheating, but the shotgun takes no skill
ME: Do you guys have that "no skill" message bound? Heh
PLAYER R: Anyone can use the shotgun it's lame, try a different gun

See a trend here? While I found this humorous, it was also a bit disturbing. It is possible to do well without being tagged as a cheater? How does one win respect, get all your kills by pistol whipping your opponents? Imagine the following conversation:

GUY A: Dude, Barry Sanders was cheap. He got all his yards by playing running back.
GUY B: Yeah, let's see him play QB!
GUY A: Yeah, and without an offensive line!
GUY B: Yeah, IMO he was cheating the whole season. I mean, no one could be THAT good.

END OF STORY

Okay, now on to the topics!

The Shotgun

My opinion: Powerful but not cheap. Why? You've got a VERY limited range, plus the reload takes forever. If I am faced with two players armed with the SMG/MG who catch me at a distance, it is their responsibility to aim and take me out before I can close to within 10 feet. If you can't take me out in such a situation, then you deserve to die - especially if I have to reload.

The same goes for snipers. If you are a sniper and see me in the distance, use the Force to aim or something, because I am coming your way. If you cannot tag me before I get close and/or you choose to not change positions, then you deserve to die.

The damage seems spot on for the shotgun, though the shot does seem to spread out very quickly. The problem is not that the shotgun is overpowered, it's that the SMG and the MG are underpowered. If this bothers you, try the Covak-Pooter realism mod (CPR). IMO, this really saves the game. THE SMG and the MG actually kill with less than 2/3 a clip!

Snipers

What can I say? They seem fine to me, though I do wish there was more of a penalty associated with switching to the zoomed-in view. As it stands, you switch from normal FOV to a perfectly steady scope view in what, 1/2 second? Also, as mentioned in previous posts, maybe aiming drift should be employed. I would have to try this out before final say.

Rocketeers

I am not bothered by these fellows, except for the silly decision to allow them to shoot you from 3 feet away without suffering the penalty of mutual death. The splash damage associated with the bazooka and panzerfaust can be effective against hard to target snipers.

Camping

Frankly, I do not care if someone chooses to wait at the church and cover the 88. Why not? I am surprised to see so few teams using the defense in depth strategy. In fact, defense in depth was used extensively during WWll. Placing all defensive units at or very near the main line of resistance increases the chances of all defending units being destroyed by opening artillery salvos, or enveloped by pincer movements.

When does playing "D" - especially taking a position at or near the church - become camping? Please tell me, because IMO, there is no such beast in this game.

Cheating

I don't cheat, and I haven't seen anyone cheat. Yes, I am sure it's possible, but again, I have yet to see it with my own eyes. Then again, would I recognize it if I saw it? I'm not sure.

Do not think that because you are hitting someone that you actually ARE hitting them. Keep this in mind when you label someone you can't kill as a cheater. It may be hard to admit to yourself, but some players are just a heck of a lot better than others - even without cheating.

Hannover

	(#1)
Hannover is Offline Junior Member Posts: 26 Join Date: Jan 2002	01-03-2002, 04:23 AM After playing a great deal of the MOHAA Multiplayer Demo and reading countless posts from this forum and others, I'd like to initiate a thoughtful discussion about five hot topics - Shotguns, Snipers, Rocketeers, Camping, and Cheating. Let me first begin with a story... It was a dark and stormy night, and I was on a FFA Stalingrad server with about 9-10 other players. Pinging about 85-100, my connection was neither superior to anyone else on the server (especially not the host player and his ZERO ping), nor was it much worse. On this night, however, I finally got back in "the zone." "The zone" is where I play to the best of my ability, where I make all the right decisions, and where I have/create a lot of luck. I will sound like a crusty old-timer, but back in my Team Fortress days, I suppose I was a mean sob when I was in "the zone." Yes, there were many players better, but I had my moments... Ah, but back to MOHAA! While playing in "the zone" on this dark and stormy night in Stalingrad, I cleaned house as a sniper. My decent connection, combined with a bit of skill, luck, and less-talented players, made me shoot to the top of the standings very quickly. I was going on runs of 18 kills and no deaths. I should mention that this was only my second attempt at sniping. After a while of this, I was called out by another player. Here is what transpired: PLAYER X: Hannover, u are cheap ME: Oh yeah? PLAYER X: Anyone can snipe ME: Well, why not join me and rack up some cheap kills?!?! PLAYER X: No, because it takes no skill ME: Yeah, I know. I need all the help I can get. I ignored further protestations, proclamations, and rude exhortations and kept fragging. Soon others tired of my sniping and joined the anti-Hannover chorus. Here's what I was told: PLAYER Y: lol you may be okay at sniping but can u use a diff weapon? PLAYER Z: ya, sniping is easy PLAYER X: no shit man, let's see him use a different weap Before too long, the number of targets on the server dwindled to the point that I wanted to find another. After searching, I found another FFA with 10-12 players. I joined this server and decided to try the SMG, just to see if I could "use a diff weapon." I guess you could say that I was pretty good at using the SMG, as I ended up with a score of 200-31. In short, I was still in "the zone." After one particularly tasty frag, I was called out by a player. PLAYER B: Hannover u ^@%#&&@! cheater ME: Thanks for the compliment. PLAYER B: U are so f$^king cheating ME: Again, I thank you for the compliment. PLAYER B: get some skill cheater ME: Where might that be had? PLAYER B: f$%k you PLAYER C: Who's cheating? PLAYER B: Hannover...someone kick him It kept going on, but I ignored all messages and continued to frag. As my kills piled up, a new player called me out. PLAYER F: lame..Q3 monkey use a diff weapon ME: I've heard that before. PLAYER F: anyone can circle strafe w/ the SMG...takes no skill ME: Okay then I'll switch. At this point, I switched to the shotgun. Let me just say this: the shotgun is the weapon of choice for confined areas, as it should be. I ratcheted up my totals to something like 448-98, if I remember correctly (I've got a screenshot at home.) Near the end of my participation on this server, I experienced a stroke of luck on and killed a room filled with four other players. I did not die. Needless to say, I was called out. PLAYER Q: ghey PLAYER Q: Hannover you cheap cheating f$%k ME: Wha? PLAYER Q: I shot you like 40 times in the head and u didn't die ME: What can I say other than you must've missed? PLAYER R: naw he's not cheating, but the shotgun takes no skill ME: Do you guys have that "no skill" message bound? Heh PLAYER R: Anyone can use the shotgun it's lame, try a different gun See a trend here? While I found this humorous, it was also a bit disturbing. It is possible to do well without being tagged as a cheater? How does one win respect, get all your kills by pistol whipping your opponents? Imagine the following conversation: GUY A: Dude, Barry Sanders was cheap. He got all his yards by playing running back. GUY B: Yeah, let's see him play QB! GUY A: Yeah, and without an offensive line! GUY B: Yeah, IMO he was cheating the whole season. I mean, no one could be THAT good. END OF STORY Okay, now on to the topics! The Shotgun My opinion: Powerful but not cheap. Why? You've got a VERY limited range, plus the reload takes forever. If I am faced with two players armed with the SMG/MG who catch me at a distance, it is their responsibility to aim and take me out before I can close to within 10 feet. If you can't take me out in such a situation, then you deserve to die - especially if I have to reload. The same goes for snipers. If you are a sniper and see me in the distance, use the Force to aim or something, because I am coming your way. If you cannot tag me before I get close and/or you choose to not change positions, then you deserve to die. The damage seems spot on for the shotgun, though the shot does seem to spread out very quickly. The problem is not that the shotgun is overpowered, it's that the SMG and the MG are underpowered. If this bothers you, try the Covak-Pooter realism mod (CPR). IMO, this really saves the game. THE SMG and the MG actually kill with less than 2/3 a clip! Snipers What can I say? They seem fine to me, though I do wish there was more of a penalty associated with switching to the zoomed-in view. As it stands, you switch from normal FOV to a perfectly steady scope view in what, 1/2 second? Also, as mentioned in previous posts, maybe aiming drift should be employed. I would have to try this out before final say. Rocketeers I am not bothered by these fellows, except for the silly decision to allow them to shoot you from 3 feet away without suffering the penalty of mutual death. The splash damage associated with the bazooka and panzerfaust can be effective against hard to target snipers. Camping Frankly, I do not care if someone chooses to wait at the church and cover the 88. Why not? I am surprised to see so few teams using the defense in depth strategy. In fact, defense in depth was used extensively during WWll. Placing all defensive units at or very near the main line of resistance increases the chances of all defending units being destroyed by opening artillery salvos, or enveloped by pincer movements. When does playing "D" - especially taking a position at or near the church - become camping? Please tell me, because IMO, there is no such beast in this game. Cheating I don't cheat, and I haven't seen anyone cheat. Yes, I am sure it's possible, but again, I have yet to see it with my own eyes. Then again, would I recognize it if I saw it? I'm not sure. Do not think that because you are hitting someone that you actually ARE hitting them. Keep this in mind when you label someone you can't kill as a cheater. It may be hard to admit to yourself, but some players are just a heck of a lot better than others - even without cheating. Hannover